All-original Bluegrass and Americana from Oregon multi-instrumentalist Joe Ross. Features Bryan Bowers * Al Brinkerhoff * Tim Crouch * Mitsuki Dazai * Jason Heald * Randy Kohrs * Ron Stewart * Scott Vestal * Radim Zenkl * ... more »and members of Cedar Hill * James King Band * Cold Thunder
Like his 2006 release of originals called "Festival Time Again," Joe Ross' "The Spirit of St. Louis" is a work of art ... carefully sculpted with a variety of musical styles, great attention to detail, and extraordinary craft. Joe is a friend, and a great musician who I appreciate tremendously for not only this aforementioned craft, but also his utter and total sincerity in his musical presentation. "The Spirit of St. Louis" is a passionate testament to the precious beauty and majesty of Joe's native Oregon. It speaks sweetly of wonderful days gone by, family values, American history, and the love of God. Each song is a unique portrait painted on a canvas of skillful and gorgeous instrumentation. The lyrics are lovingly wrought, and every note is a triumph.
From the opening tale of "The Logger's Song," with its highly singable and poignant lyrics, to the tender and bitter-sweet "Mother's Songs," to the reverent closing track, "His Hand is Divine," each piece tells a remarkable story in vivid detail that will tug at your heart strings and give you new appreciation for Joe's subject matter. The title cut speaks of modern marvels and innovation, and the courage and fortitude of one man's historic journey across the Atlantic. "The Church Bell No One Hears" is the heartbreaking account of the loss of spiritual heritage within our everyday lives. And "Somewhere Down The Road" is simply irresistible, with its uplifting message of hope and happiness to come. As always, Joe has included some marvelous instrumental tracks... the delightful "One Legged Turkey" includes some fantastic chromatic elements, which add a wonderful element of surprise. And the achingly lovely "Saint Anne's« less
All-original Bluegrass and Americana from Oregon multi-instrumentalist Joe Ross. Features Bryan Bowers * Al Brinkerhoff * Tim Crouch * Mitsuki Dazai * Jason Heald * Randy Kohrs * Ron Stewart * Scott Vestal * Radim Zenkl * and members of Cedar Hill * James King Band * Cold Thunder
Like his 2006 release of originals called "Festival Time Again," Joe Ross' "The Spirit of St. Louis" is a work of art ... carefully sculpted with a variety of musical styles, great attention to detail, and extraordinary craft. Joe is a friend, and a great musician who I appreciate tremendously for not only this aforementioned craft, but also his utter and total sincerity in his musical presentation. "The Spirit of St. Louis" is a passionate testament to the precious beauty and majesty of Joe's native Oregon. It speaks sweetly of wonderful days gone by, family values, American history, and the love of God. Each song is a unique portrait painted on a canvas of skillful and gorgeous instrumentation. The lyrics are lovingly wrought, and every note is a triumph.
From the opening tale of "The Logger's Song," with its highly singable and poignant lyrics, to the tender and bitter-sweet "Mother's Songs," to the reverent closing track, "His Hand is Divine," each piece tells a remarkable story in vivid detail that will tug at your heart strings and give you new appreciation for Joe's subject matter. The title cut speaks of modern marvels and innovation, and the courage and fortitude of one man's historic journey across the Atlantic. "The Church Bell No One Hears" is the heartbreaking account of the loss of spiritual heritage within our everyday lives. And "Somewhere Down The Road" is simply irresistible, with its uplifting message of hope and happiness to come. As always, Joe has included some marvelous instrumental tracks... the delightful "One Legged Turkey" includes some fantastic chromatic elements, which add a wonderful element of surprise. And the achingly lovely "Saint Anne's
CD Reviews
Joe Ross: The Spirit of St. Louis
Joseph E. Falletta | San Diego, CA, USA | 10/27/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There's a lot to like about this latest effort from Joe Ross. Eleven new original songs cover everything from stirring Gospel, to songs about logging, Mom, Oregon (where Joe calls home), love, even fowl, and, as the title implies, Charles Lindbergh's epic flight across the Atlantic.
Al Brinkerhoff's melodious resophonic guitar kicks things off very appealingly on the lively "The Logger's Song," vividly illustrating the life of an Oregon woodsman. "The River In Oregon" is a tribute to the rivers and tributaries, "the lifeblood of the land...please take care of them," Joe writes in the liner notes. "One Legged Turkey," a clever, upbeat instrumental, was written in memory of an actual wild turkey that hung around for a while on the roof of Joe's home. "Mother's Songs" is quite emotive; a beautiful piece that Joe says always choked him up as he sang it. Recorded with the fine Missouri band Cedar Hill, the cut features Mel Besher in a first-rate bluegrass tenor lead vocal backed by Lisa Ray on harmony vocal. The one traditional in the collection, "St. Anne's Reel," is lovely with Joe on hammered dulcimer and mandolin, Bryan Bowers on autoharp, and Radim Zenkl on pennywhistle. "The Church Bell No One Hears" and "His Hand Is Divine" are two very well-crafted Gospel pieces, the latter featuring some excellent fiddle work by Ronnie Stewart.
Again Joe composes in a nice array of styles...the very bluesy "Streamliner," Calypso on "The River In Oregon," and driving bluegrass. And as usual, he's assembled a fine line up musicians quite equal to the task; the likes of Randy Kohrs, James King, Adam Haynes, Kevin Prater, Tim Crouch, and Scott Vestal contribute masterfully on various cuts. The word sure seems to have gotten out among his peers that Joe is a talent to be reckoned with; it's more than about time this notion catches on with the listening public and bluegrass radio."
Hot music from an Oregon songwriter.
M. OSullivan | Winchester, OR, US | 01/07/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Joe Ross may not be a name recognizable to the general populace, but in "The Spirit of St Louis" Joe has put out an excellent CD that will endear him to many. Joe has assembled a group of original songs played by a plethora of talented musicians that will truly inspire and energize the listener. Joe uses all the tools available to the songwriter, writing on a variety of topics from history to love gone bad to gospel to songs about home and life on the road. He also throws in an original insrumental, the catchy "one-legged turkey". He varies things by using major and minor modes, and his songs go from the simple to the structurally complex. Above all, Joe has surrounded himself with some outstanding musicians who complement his compositions as effortlessly as if they have been playing with him on his front porch for a lifetime. In addition to Joe's presence on guitar, bass, and mandolin, Al Brinkerhoff's dobro brings another unifing thread that can be heard throughout the project. Tim Crouch's fiddle is outstanding, particularly on the Loggers Song, where his fills seem as if he composed them specifically to fit the images of the song. Joe Ross is indeed a uniquely talented man and has put together an excellent showcase of his material in "The Spirit of St Louis"."
The Spirit of St. Louis (Joe Ross) - Review by Mark Petteys
Mark P. Petteys | Forest Grove, OR | 11/04/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"
Joe Ross continues his legacy as a songwriter and musician with "The Spirit of St. Louis." This newest batch of bluegrass originals is replete with quality musicians and rich lyrics. Drawing from images of Oregon's backwoods and history and ranging to other nostalgic and inspirational lyrics, Joe's songs meticulously traverse a new aspect of Oregon's bluegrass terrain.
"The Logger's Song," a driving bluegrass tune, kicks-off this latest project and is followed by another up-tempo tune called "The Homefire," a lament to homesickness. "One Legged Turkey" is a bouncy and interesting instrumental. The mood then shifts to Joe's Calypso-like bluegrass sound in "The River in Oregon," a tribute to the beautiful rivers of Oregon and is followed by "Mother's Song," a foot-tapping homespun waltz with poignant remembrances of childhood. "The Church Bell No One Hears" is a well-delivered gospel offering.
The title track, "The Spirit of St. Louis," is an eloquently-worded account of Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic airplane flight of 1927 and serves well as testament to Joe's proclivity to tell stories in song. The bluegrass saga continues with a soulful tune called "My Heart Remembers Yesterday." "St. Anne's Reel," the only traditional tune on the album, is beautifully voiced with Bryan Bowers on autoharp and is followed by "Streamliner," another original tale of the rails that is accompanied by the extraordinary resophonic guitar work of Al Brinkerhoff. Then, flowing into "Somewhere down the Road, the album closes with "His Hand is Devine," a tight gospel with pretty changes and harmonies.
This new bluegrass album is a lyrical journey through diverse and evocative stories and moods. The instrumentalists are all great and the album, with Joe's powerful lyrics, distinguishes his lyrical abilities as well as his skill as a singer and picker. Joe carves out a real niche as an Oregon singer and songwriter.
Mark Petteys
"
Traditional at its best
Samantha Sturm | Orange, Virginia | 01/04/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Joe Ross comes forth with a wonderful traditional bluegrass album hitting the nail on the head yet again! These songs are not only traditional but also heart warming and lively. They show the true spirit and everyone who listens will know these songs have come from his heart! Some highlight songs on this album are "Mothers Songs", "The Church Bell No One Hears" and "Streamliner." Ross captures the true essence of the moment when the listener puts on this album and keeps their attention until the very last song. This is by far a must have for all traditional bluegrass lovers and anyone interested in learning about traditional bluegrass."
Songs of the American spirit
8 piece box | 11/13/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As the title track would suggest, Joe Ross's latest CD is a collection of original songs of the American spirit. As with his previous album, "Festival Time Again", Ross has successfully blended a large and diverse group of uncommonly talented musicians. There's not a filler among the dozen tracks. Ross nicely balances environmental sensibilities with respect for the common man.
Once again, Ross uses the novelty of the Japanese koto, autoharp, and pennywhistle to great effect, this time to give the traditional instrumental "St. Anne's Reel" an ancient and stately character. For the obligatory wailing train song, Ross offers "Streamliner", a ballad of the real-life stories of professional wanderers Vic Wolberg and Murray Morris. What's more Americana than that? Finally, "Mother's Songs" featuring Kenny Cantrell on banjo, Lisa Ray on fiddle, Frank Ray on mandolin, and Mel Besher's lilting vocal evokes universal memories of a simpler life. This song deserves wide play.
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1